Chapter 53: I Will Give No Opening to Flies

In Kong Lingxin's view, the news currently creating a massive uproar on the internet had zero impact on her. Receiving Meng Zexiao's call and his arrangement for Wan Si to accompany her was proof that the Meng family was actively handling the matter. Besides, when it all came down to it, that was the Meng family's crisis; she had merely made a cameo appearance as the female lead.

Seeing Wan Si gradually relax, Kong Lingxin considered using Wan Si to find out about Yang Shanshan's situation within the Dingsheng Group. She had always been eager to meet this eldest sister-in-law.

Kong Lingxin asked, "How long have you been at the Dingsheng Group?"

Wan Si was startled, clearly finding Kong Lingxin's question a bit abrupt. She replied, "I've been there for a year."

Kong Lingxin nodded. "Oh, a year already."

A year was neither long nor short, and she wondered how much Wan Si knew about Yang Shanshan.

Wan Si assumed Kong Lingxin was just making casual conversation by asking that, so she relaxed considerably and began to chatter enthusiastically. "When I came for my interview at the Dingsheng Group, I never expected I'd actually be hired. Everyone in City B, along with outsiders who come here to study, considers it an honor to work at the Dingsheng Group—the benefits are great and the work is prestigious. When I first graduated, I tried applying for positions at Dingsheng, but my resume vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. It was only after a few years of tempering myself that I regained my confidence."

In a sense, Kong Lingxin felt that she and Wan Si were the same kind of person. She didn't have the heart to drag someone who had worked so hard to establish a foothold in this talent-packed city into a whirlpool.

There was not a single trace of the stereotypes Wan Si had previously associated with wealthy wives. Words like overbearing, spoiled, snobbish, and arrogant were very far removed from Kong Lingxin, which made Wan Si feel completely at ease in her presence, much like she was confiding her innermost thoughts to an old friend.

Looking at Wan Si with sincere eyes, Kong Lingxin said, "Actually, I quite envy a life like yours—clear goals, and stepping closer to those goals one step at a time."

To talk about goals in front of a billionaire tycoon's wife made Wan Si feel a bit embarrassed. She smiled and didn't respond.

At that moment, Sister Qi suddenly walked into the living room and said to Kong Lingxin, "Second Young Madam, Madam is here."

Kong Lingxin's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly guessed the purpose of Madam Meng's visit. It was merely that the rumors online had reached her ears, and she had come to go through the motions and fulfill her duties as a mother-in-law.

Wan Si appeared somewhat flustered. Prior to this, she had never laid eyes on the legendary Madam Meng. She looked at Kong Lingxin, her eyes seeking advice on whether she should excuse herself.

Kong Lingxin, however, said, "It's fine. You were sent here by Meng Zexiao; there's nothing shameful about it."

Just as she finished speaking, Madam Meng entered, followed by Peng Nan.

Kong Lingxin went forward to greet Madam Meng, whose expression was extremely unpleasant, and said, "Mother, you're here."

Madam Meng cast a glance at Kong Lingxin, her eyes filled with blame and dissatisfaction, and then walked straight to the center seat of the living room sofa and sat down.

Peng Nan walked past Kong Lingxin, a provocative smile on her face.

Kong Lingxin felt entirely indifferent, but to cater to her mother-in-law's displeasure, she managed to display a flustered expression of someone who had made a mistake.

Madam Meng swept a glance over Wan Si, finally fixing her gaze on Kong Lingxin, who was standing directly opposite her. "Lingxin, you've always been gentle and virtuous. How could you recently do such things that completely ruin the Meng family's reputation?"

Hearing this sharp voice, everyone present couldn't help trembling slightly.

Peng Nan looked at Kong Lingxin, unable to suppress her excitement, a smug smile plastered across her face.

Although Kong Lingxin couldn't be said to have a fondness for Madam Meng previously, she didn't dislike her either. Putting herself in Madam Meng's shoes, the older woman would always prioritize the face and interests of the Meng family.

However, for this act of indiscriminately hurling accusations at her daughter-in-law without sorting out the facts, Kong Lingxin still felt a chill in her heart.

Everyone looked at Kong Lingxin, waiting for her response.

Looking at Madam Meng, Kong Lingxin withdrew her previous flustered expression, replacing it with an attitude that was neither servile nor overbearing. She said, "I don't know if Mother asked Zexiao about the sequence of events before coming here, but in this matter, I am the ultimate victim."

Hearing Kong Lingxin talk back for the first time, Madam Meng was so stunned that she didn't know how to react for a moment. The domestic staff nearby, terrified that they might hear things they shouldn't, quickly retreated to give them privacy.

The cavernous living room was left with only Madam Meng, Kong Lingxin, Wan Si, and Peng Nan.

Wan Si couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Kong Lingxin. Now was hardly the time for Kong Lingxin to argue her case; even when a mother-in-law in an ordinary family lectured her daughter-in-law, regardless of how unreasonable the mother-in-law might sound, the best course of action for the daughter-in-law was never to talk back on the spot.

Among the four of them, only Peng Nan eagerly anticipated the "plot's" subsequent development. The corners of her mouth deepened into a smile—the long-awaited grand finale was finally arriving!

Madam Meng lifted her chin, her gaze growing even sharper, and her voice rose in volume compared to before. "I don't care whose fault it is, each gets fifty strikes of the board. Before I've even expressed my stance, you couldn't wait to distance yourself! As Zexiao's wife, did you ever think of sharing the burden for him?!"

Kong Lingxin sneered inwardly. He was her precious son after all; when the son went out flirting and stirred up trouble, his wife still had to learn to shoulder the blame.

Having calmed down, Kong Lingxin knew this was not the time to clash with Madam Meng. To survive in high society here, endurance was the key to survival.

Kong Lingxin forced herself with all her might to lower her head. Retracting her previously detached gaze, she looked at Madam Meng and said with a wronged expression, "Mother, being a woman yourself, I just hope you can understand me a little. I miscarried not long ago, yet Zexiao was out there playing around. No matter how much of a burden I can shoulder, it's impossible for me to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear—unless I have zero feelings for him left—"

Hearing her daughter-in-law soften her stance, the tightly furrowed brows of Madam Meng slowly relaxed. Wan Si let out a sigh of relief on Kong Lingxin's behalf from the bottom of her heart.

However, the severity of Madam Meng's tone did not diminish in the slightest. Glancing at the roses on the coffee table, she said, "Since you still have feelings for Zexiao, stop playing these hard-to-get games. He is under immense work pressure, with half the burden of the entire Dingsheng Group resting on his shoulders, yet he still has to find the energy to coax you. Know when to quit; you've been married for a year, yet you still act like a couple bickering during the dating phase. You first use the silent treatment to push him into another woman's arms, and then you put on a victim's posture and cry about your husband wronging you!"

Sure enough, the servants here would report the state of her relationship with Meng Zexiao to Madam Meng. Kong Lingxin rejoiced that she had disguised herself well enough not to expose her impostor identity.

After finishing, Madam Meng intentionally or unintentionally glanced sideways at Peng Nan. Kong Lingxin caught this in her eyes, confirming that Madam Meng was indeed aware of the relationship between Peng Nan and Meng Zexiao.

Although Madam Meng's tone toward Kong Lingxin was harsh, she had also clearly indicated that she only acknowledged Kong Lingxin as her daughter-in-law. The smile on Peng Nan's face vanished after hearing Madam Meng's remarks.

Stepping down the provided ladder, Kong Lingxin said, "Mother, I understand. I hope you can give me a little more time."

Madam Meng softened her posture slightly and said, "Mother is this strict with you for your own good! You also know that your father intends to hand Dingsheng over to Zexiao to manage in the future, so your primary focus now should be on how to be a worthy and supportive wife to him."

Since Madam Meng had intentionally or unintentionally said these words right in front of Peng Nan, Kong Lingxin certainly wouldn't let Peng Nan down either. She said, "Mother, I will strictly follow your teachings. They say that flies don't bite seamless eggs, but I won't give those flies another chance."

Sensing that Kong Lingxin was indirectly referring to her, Madam Meng felt a jolt of shock inside—so Peng Nan really couldn't control her urge to flaunt her ambiguous relationship with Zexiao in front of Kong Lingxin.

It would be best to get rid of such a woman sooner rather than later! She had previously thought Peng Nan was merely after money, but now it appeared her appetite far exceeded anything she could have imagined.

Seeing that Madam Meng remained silent, Kong Lingxin glanced sideways at Peng Nan and said, "Oh, I just noticed. Why did Doctor Peng tag along as well? Although my mind and body have taken a bit of a hit, your expertise and capabilities are not needed to help me out right now."

Every time Peng Nan had crossed paths with Kong Lingxin recently, she had been left humiliated and bruised. Having done her homework before coming this time, she forced herself to look calm and professional. "My duty is as the Meng family's private doctor, so naturally I am responsible for every family member. The internet is flooded with rumors that the Second Young Madam has manic-depressive disorder; although it's beyond my direct capabilities, I still need to make an initial diagnosis so I can connect you with the most suitable specialist."

"Enough!" Madam Meng's voice sent a chill through everyone present. Madam Meng said, "Thank you, Doctor Peng, for your dedication, but please return first. If there's any need, I'll have someone contact you."

Having prepared a basketful of words only to be dismissed before she could spill them, Peng Nan was naturally deeply resentful, yet she dared not resist. The timing was not right; even if she possessed a miracle cure, she couldn't afford to show her hand yet.

After Peng Nan left, Madam Meng looked at Wan Si standing beside Kong Lingxin and asked, "Who is this?"

Wan Si hurriedly introduced herself, "Hello, Madam Meng. I am President Meng's secretary, Wan Si. President Meng is away on business this week, so he specifically instructed me to come and keep the Second Young Madam company."

Seeing that Wan Si looked harmless and naive, Madam Meng said nothing further. She stood up as if preparing to leave, but before departing, she stated her stance with unmistakable clarity: "No matter what Zexiao has done, a man at his level is bound to make minor mistakes, but those aren't grave sins for a man. As his wife, a wealthy daughter-in-law, you must also learn to be understanding and empathetic! The messy business on the internet will be handled by the company's public relations department, but such a thing must never happen a second time. The Meng family's reputation cannot withstand the erosion of these gossip and rumors!"

Not until Madam Meng's car drove away from the main gate did Kong Lingxin and Wan Si return inside. Without trying to hide it, Wan Si let out a heavy sigh of relief. "So mothers-in-law really do stand unconditionally on their sons' sides. I think I'm terrified of marriage now."